Fishing Tip: How to Pack for an Fishing Trip

Packing for a multi-day fishing trip is like packing for any other vacation, if you wait to the last minute and rush it, there is a good chance your going forget something, but unlike that forgotten tube of toothpaste, it is not as easy to swing by the corner store to replace a missing key piece of fishing equipment... Here are some tips on how to pack for those extended Fishing trips

Step 1: Prepare Early 

When packing for an extended trip I try to begin the packing process no later then 2 full days prior to the trip. For example when preparing for my recent trip to Lake Erie, I was scheduled to leave late on Wednesday evening, so I began my packing process on the Sunday prior to leaving.

I find that starting the process early, not only helps you keep a mental inventory of what you actually need on the trip, but it gives you time to make changes, add items you may have forgotten about, and remove items that you realize are overkill or unneeded.

Step 2: Keep all your gear in one place

When starting to pack or compile the items I need for a trip, I try to always keep them together. I start to make a pile of gear and clothing in a spare room, and any food I'm taking will be stored together on the counter or on the same shelf in the fridge. Too often I have heard stories from anglers who forgot something simply because they had their gear spread out all over the house. Only having to check one spot, makes loading the car quick and painless

Step 3: Be Prepared

There is a fine line between under and over preparing for a trip, and you need to find that happy medium. When talking about gear that simply means you need to pack the gear you plan to fish, and you need to pack the gear you will end up fishing when the weather, conditions or the fish don't co-operate.

Please don't misunderstand this, and attempt to pack your entire fishing arsenal for your trip, the idea here is to select one or two fish catching techniques that are polar opposites to the techniques you actually plan to fish. As an example, if the plan to fish shallow cranks, as a backup I will always throw one or two deep diving cranks into my shallow crank box, as "just in case" baits.

Tip: I organize all my baits into technique specific plano boxes (Deep Cranks, Shallow Cranks, Top water and so on) but I always keep a spare empty box that I label "trip box" I fill this box up with odds and end that I don't plan to use, but want to take "just in case".

Step 4: Don't trust the Weather Forecast

This one is kinda self explanatory, but to be blunt, I don't care if you are fishing in the middle of the Sahara desert, you need to pack your rain gear. I dont care if the forecast calls for 3 days of pouring rain or maybe even  a snowstorm, you still need to pack sunscreen. This may sound obvious, but even as I type this I can easily recall multiple time in which I did not take my own advise, and paid for it dearly

Weather is a  huge intangible when  preparing for a multi-day fishing trip, and if you want to enjoy your time on the water, you need to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at you. You can thank me later

Tip: There are a select number of items that I always ensure to pack (2) two of. For example I pack 2 pairs of shoes, 2 Hats and 2 pairs of sunglasses.  All three of these items are key to a safe and comfortable day on the water. I know we have all been there, your hat fly's off during blast-off, or your sunglasses get dropped in the water (or maybe sat on), and lastly depending on the style and brand of shoe you wear, a full day in the rain will leave them still soggy and cold for the next days outing. Think about it!

Step 5: Take Your time

This is important to remember as rushed packing leads to rushed decisions, so pack slowly and think it through. The same goes for when your loading the the gear into your car, and finally when packing back up at the end of the trip, "no rod left behind" is a motto to live by.

Tip: Protecting your gear while traveling is important, there is nothing worse then driving for hours to get to your destination, only to find a rod tip or guide snapped off. I protect my gear with the full line of Rod Glove products, this includes the rod gloves themselves, as well as rod wraps and the reel gloves to keep my reels looking pretty. Any pre-rigged baits are wrapped in a bait glove, to keep the hooks from rubbing on other rods or getting tangled up



Fishing Trips are exciting, I hope this quick 5 Step program makes your next fishing trip a successful one, on and off the water. And remember, no matter where you are, or where your  going, treat every body of water like it was your home lake.